PWWSD - Annual Report 2016

In this report, PWWSD provides the main highlights of its work during the year 2016, looking at women’s civic and political participation, working women’s rights, Lobbying and advocacy and policy dialogue, mobilization and campaigns for the amendment of laws, joint and/or complementary actions; as well as sensitizing the community towards women’s issues.

During 2016, PWWSD established 23 new shadow councils, which play an active role in supporting elected women in local councils, across the West Bank and Gaza Strip; with 153 women and young women as members, totaling the number of shadow councils established since 2013 to 73. PWWSD worked intensively with women workers to raise awareness on their labor rights, encourage women to join unions and monitor labor violations in the work place, among others. PWWSD also participated in various lobbying and advocacy efforts on national, regional and international levels to hold Israel accountable for human rights violations against Palestinian women and children. We further participated in the mass national mobilization for the amendment of the draft Social Security Law and the monitoring of the Minimum Wage Law. PWWSD is member in a number of national networks and coalitions, and there was intensified coordination with relevant civil society and governmental organizations, such as the members of the National Referral System for Abused Women, whereby cases of abused women were referred from and to the member organizations. PWWSD also played an important role in opening discussion of sensitive issues related to women’s rights and gender equality, such as its campaign to protect women from sexual exploitation through social media networks, and its efforts to confront religious fundamentalism.